GOAL OF THE MONTH – Special Focus – Environment
Where We Are
-
UNFCCC COP 28 in Dubai in December 2023 was the largest COP ever held. It brought over 85,000 people together, including 150 Heads of State, national delegations, civil society, indigenous people and youth, among other stakeholders. COP agreed on a roadmap to ratchet up efforts to keep temperature increases below 1.5°C – a historic commitment that included, for the first time ever, language on fossil fuels. New funding for loss and damage was also agreed upon, with commitments now over $650 million.
-
The first-ever Sustainability Week was convened by the President of the General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in April in New York New York shone a light on critical topics such as sustainable transport.
-
The Fourth Session ( INC-4 ) of negotiations to develop a groundbreaking international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, took place in Ottawa at the end of April 2024, with the work culminating in Busan in November of this year.
-
Preparations are underway for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference hosted by France & Costa-Rica in France next summer, which will focus on accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.
SDG 15 IN NUMBERS
-
Over 1 million plants, animals and other living things facing the threat of extinction. -
7 million hectares of forests are destroyed every year, particularly in tropical regions. -
It is projected that the world’s cities will produce 2.2 billion tonnes of waste every year by 2025, more than three times the amount produced in 2009. -
Environmental contamination causes approximately nine million deaths annually, with air pollution causing nearly seven million deaths.
Spotlight
5 | Moment of Truth: Special Address on Climate Action by UN Secretary-General
5 | World Environment Day
8 | World Ocean Day
17 | World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
Highlights
-
International cooperation to promote technology innovations and transfer for an inclusive future; -
Persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies; -
Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities to decent work and sustainable livelihoods.
Upcoming International Days
Upcoming Events
ACTNOW for our Common Future
Summit of the Future
Awake at Night Podcast